Page 30 of My Forbidden Billionaire
Emmy rolls her eyes, taking a long sip of her Prosecco. “I’m honestly surprised you haven’t discovered BookTok yet…”
“Let me guess, is that … TikTok for books?” I smirk.
“That’s exactly what it is. And considering how much you love to talk about books every waking hour, I’m confident you would love BookTok.” She nudges me.
“Okay, okay, fine … I’ll download it.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “As long as you promise you’re not going to peer pressure me into making one of those dance videos…” I laugh.
“I make no such promises.” Emmy laughs.
“So, how have things been for you, Jo? Any news on the hot dad front since the parent-teacher meeting?” Larisa grins.
“Please, don’t call him that,” I reply. I feel a little uncomfortable at this new nickname my friends have given Jacob Carlton.
“Why not?”
“It just … creeps me out when you guys call him the ‘hot dad.’”
“I prefer ‘hot, hot chocolate man,’ anyway,” Emmy quips.
I roll my eyes. “But to answer your question, yes. There’s … news…” my voice trails off.
I get a kick out of watching my friends’ faces, as they eagerly hang on to my every word.
“Spill it!” Emmy grins, taking a sip of her Prosecco.
“Well, we exchanged a few emails.”
“Emails? About what?”
“Umm … well, first he gave me his number—”
“Have you called him?” Larisa interjects, excitedly.
“No, of course not. But … there’s this cricket match at school on Friday. His daughter, Clementine, is on one of the teams. So, I wrote to ask if he’s coming to watch the match and support her. That’s all.”
Emmy and Larisa turn to look at each other as they grin and nod in unison. “You asked him out on a date!”
“No, I did not. Look, it’s not like that. He was going to come anyway. His daughter is on the team, like I said. I just…”
“Just what?”
“Checked to see if he wanted to be there,” I reply.
“Shut up. This is a date and you know it!” They laugh.
“Guys, look. You’re making a big deal out of this. It was just a few lines and nothing more. He actually said himself that he already knew about the cricket thing. So…”
“Alright, then let me ask you this. Have you sent emails to other parents—to other dads maybe—to see if they plan on coming to this … cricket whatever?” Larisa asks.
I look around the living room, buying some time for myself.
“Umm … not … yet.”
They know I’m lying. They’re my best friends. Both Emmy and Larisa burst out laughing.
“Ah, I see. So, tomorrow you will send a mass email to every parent asking them to come. Right? Jo … come on. Why won’t you admit it? You asked him out on a date.”
“I did not ask him out! It’s not even out! It’s at the school where I work! I mean, sure I was flirting a little … but the way you two are acting has me concerned. What happens if someone else sees the emails and thinks I asked Jacob on a date?”